Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2025

Introduction

This chapter focusses on how frequently Irish people use the internet, and for those who are recent users (used the internet in the previous three months), the extent to which they go online every day or almost every day, and if less frequent users, their broad frequency of usage.

Please note: Internet use not only includes internet browsing, buying of goods or services online, or online education, it also includes all activities that require the internet, such as email, instant messaging, use of WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, internet banking, etc.

This chapter will highlight the very high use of the internet in Ireland, with younger adults in particular online at least several times a day.

Key findings of frequency of internet usage

The majority (95%) of people aged 16 years and over, had used the internet within the previous three months, up two percentage points on the same period in 2024. Most of these internet users (95%) had used the internet every day or almost every day, unchanged from when the survey was last carried out in 2024. 

More older people are now using the internet. The number of older people aged 75 years and over who used the internet within the last three months increased from 54% in 2024 to 63% in 2025. Of these, over three quarters (77%) had gone online daily, up two percentage points from 2024. 

Just 5% had never used the internet, predominantly older people aged 75 years and over (34%).

The vast majority of households with dependent children had used the internet daily or almost daily, 98% of households of one adult with children, and 99% of households of two adults with children, had gone online daily or almost daily, compared with 91% of internet users living in single occupancy households.

All students were online at some point during the day, compared with over eight in ten (84%) people whose principal economic status was retired.

Younger people aged 16 to 29 years were the most frequent internet users with almost all (99%) going online daily, with 96% of these using the internet at least several times during the day.